Shattered
by ihaveafunnyface
Summary: After getting the job of his dreams in the city of his dreams, David Nolan thought he had everything figured it out. Then he met the woman who is about to shatter his entire life. AU Evil Charming.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, everyone! So almost a year after I terminated my first fic while announcing I would post another, I'm finally here to do it! Truth is I was hoping to complete this one before posting it, but I just couldn't do it. So I decided to just post it already and we'll see how it goes, if you guys like the idea.**

 **I think the timing is right, though, with Once Upon a Time coming to an end. It's a very bittersweet feeling, isn't it? So let this be a farewell gift to the show.**

 **It's Evil Charming, so please, if don't like the pairing, you don't gave to read it.**

 **PS.: Let me remind you that English is not my first language and I don't have a beta reader to help me. So be kind while encountering my mistakes.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE**

David Nolan let out the air in his lungs he didn't know he was holding. The men got out of the biggest building in New York feeling like a champion. _I did it,_ he thought. He finally had the job of his dreams in the city of his dreams.

Becoming a successful lawyer isn't easy. Especially for David, who came from a humble family in a small city and had to fight his way into law school. He graduated first of his class in Harvard almost 10 years ago, thank you very much. He went from law firm to law firm, making himself a name, until he got the big gig.

Since he started college he knew where he wanted to work: "Gold Law". Robert Gold was the biggest and most powerful lawyer (also one of the most powerful men) in New York, he had an empire under his feet. David had always admired his work ethic and how he managed his personal life to become what he is now. He wanted to be like Gold one day and he knew the best way to do that was to start by working for him. He knew he could learn. When they met earlier, Gold said "I see a lot of myself in you", and he took that like the biggest compliment. So David would be a part of Gold's closest team, which included Killian Jones and Emma Swan.

Tomorrow would be David's first day at the new office and he couldn't be more excited. But now he walked the streets in search of something to eat. He was so nervous about the interview that morning that he forgot to act like an actual human with basic needs. It was almost six in the afternoon and he decided to enter a coffee shop close to the office to finally grab a sandwich or something easy to eat.

David was about to open the door of the coffee shop when he got distracted by some kids playing cards on the sidewalk. The image brought back memories from his childhood and he couldn't help but smile. He continued to look at them while he grabbed the handle of the door and opened, failing to realize that there was a huge line to order. He smashed his body against the woman that was right in front of him.

"Oh, my God, I'm sorry", he said, sounding apologetic and embarrassed. "I-I wasn't looking and-", he lost his track of thought when the woman turned to him with a shy smile on her face.

"That's okay", she laughed quietly. "Don't worry, no harm made."

David was startled right there and then. She was the most beautiful vision he had ever seen in his life. He always believed in love at first sight, he just didn't know that it would feel so unbelievably amazing and paralyzing. Or that it would ever happen to him.

The woman turned to look in front of her again as the line moved and walked. David was left staring at her short dark hair. He quickly got out of his shock state and walked too. He couldn't leave at that, though. This was his day, afterall. He just got the job of his dreams, he might as well try to get to know the woman of his dreams.

"You gotta at least let me buy you a coffee now", he said to her back.

She turned to him again. Man, she should stop doing that to him. He could feel his heart coming out of his chest. And he had just met her! Was this possible?

"That's very nice of you", she smiled, "but I'm in a hurry", she looked at the balcony. "Which apparently seems to encourage everybody to be slower", she looked at him again and laughed. "But I appreciate you trying to make it up to me after running me over", she joked. "It's very chivalrous". She had a husky voice that was driving him crazy.

"I'm just having a very nice day, that's all", David laughed trying to justify himself, "But I really am sorry", he put his hand on his chest.

"Hey, I said don't worry", she winked at him. "So, since we still have a few minutes before it's my turn to order, want to share why this is a very nice day?"

David smiled. She was actually having a conversation with him. Was this day even real?

"Well, for starters, I just got the job I've always dreamed of", he said proudly.

"Why, congratulations!", she said happily.

"Thank you!", he said with a grin. "And then as I was coming here, I saw these boys playing cards on the sidewalk and it reminded me of my hometown", he continued. "That's what distracted me while I hit you", he laughed.

"Ah", she said in realization, "So you're not from here."

"Nope. But I'm sure as hell happy that I'm here now", he said. David decided that it was best if he kept the third reason why his day was more than very nice: he bumped into her. Maybe later.

"Good for you", she smiled again. What was up with that smile of hers?

She realized it was finally her turn to order. She turned to ask for a black coffee and a bagel to go. The waitress quickly gave her her order. _Way too quick_ , David thought. She grabbed her things and turned to David again.

"Well, nice meeting you and good luck with everything", she said while already putting on her sunglasses and leaving.

"Wait!", he said almost grabbing her arm, "I'm David."

"Regina", she smiled, "Welcome to New York, David", she quickly got out.

David could only see her pass through the window of the shop. He still was frozen. _Stupid_ , he thought, _her phone number!_. He could see the waitress getting impatient with him while she waited for him to order. He runned out of the shop, looking everywhere. She was gone. "David, you idiot!", he said to himself.

He got in the coffee shop again and looked at the incredibly long line. He went straight to the waitress and asked in exasperation, "Who was that woman?"

"I'm sorry, sir, there's a line and you need to be in it", she said while the rest of the customers were already cursing at him.

"No, no, I won't order anything, but, please, what do you know about that woman?", he pleaded. There was desperation in his eyes.

The girl felt sympathetic for him. She took a deep breath and rolled her eyes.

"I don't know much. She comes here every once in awhile", she started. "She's usually alone and very quiet, orders to go. And that's all I know", she breathed. "Now please, get off my counter."

David looked down. There was no useful information, except that she comes here sometimes. He vowed to come to this shop every day until he meets her again.

"Thank you", he said, honestly.

The rest of the day was blurr. He grabbed a hot dog on his way home, took a long shower, watched some TV and decided to call it a night earlier today. Tomorrow was his first day, after all. There was just one problem: David couldn't get Regina out of his mind.

xxxxx

The next day David was one of the firsts to arrive at work. Obviously, he barely slept while thinking of the brunette he met yesterday. On the entrance he spotted the receptionist, Ruby. "Good morning, Ruby", he said with a smile.

Ruby looked up from her computer. "Good morning, David!", she replied. "Excited for your first day?"

"Very much!"

"Oh", she said standing up to meet him, "Let me introduce you to your personal secretary. David, this is Mary Margaret", she gestured to the woman standing up next to her.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mary Margaret, I'm David", he put his hand up.

She shook his hand in response. "The pleasure is all mine, sir, I'm happy to be working for you".

"With me", he corrected her. "We're a team here", he winked. "Shall we go, then?", he turned to Ruby, "See you later, Ruby", which she responded with a nod.

They both went to his new office. Mary Margaret desk stood right outside his office. She sit and turned to him. "If you need anything, I'll be right here, sir."

"Thank you", he replied with sympathy and entered his room.

His huge office stood next to Emma's and Killian's, who also had personal secretaries each. Being a part of Gold's "gold team" had it's perks, after all. The spaces were carefully decorated like the rest of the firm, that occupied the building's top floor.

A few hours passed when he heard a knock on the door, which was rapidly opened. It was Gold. He had the pose of a king in a suit that was probably more expensive than David's first car.

"Mr. Gold!", David stood up and extended his hand for Gold. They shook hands.

"Settling in alright?", Gold asked, looking around David`s office.

"Yes, yes, everything is perfect", David responded.

"You know, I've been hunting you down for a bit now", Gold narrowed his eyes. "You've won a lot of important cases. You even won against me 2 years ago", he remembered. "In that moment I knew I wanted you on my team. No one ever wins against me", he said with a stern look.

David didn't even know what to say. He just stood there.

"Don't disappoint me, Mr. Nolan", he warned. He wasn't joking, that much was clear.

"I won't, sir", David simply replied.

"Good, good", Gold said quietly. "We'll talk", and he left the room.

David let out a breath. Gold didn't seemed like a bad guy, he just had a way of making people feel nervous around him. Understandably, considering where the man stood in the food chain.

David didn't even got to sit again when his two colleagues entered his office, Killian and Emma.

"Morning, mate", Killian said with his unmistakable irish accent. He let Emma pass in front of him.

"We're so glad you're working with us, David", Emma smiled. "It was about time I had someone nice to work with", she joked.

"Yeah, I'm standing right here, love", Killian arched his eyebrow to her.

They all laughed.

"So, David, we're here because the three of us are going to go out tonight and you can't say no", Emma pointed at him, before he could say anything.

"I wasn't going to", David joked.

"Good man! Just some beers and a good talk to help you get in the spirit of things", Killian finished.

"See you around six, then? We're going to this bar just around the corner", Emma said already leaving the room. "Come on, Killian", she pushed him.

"Hey, don't ruin the suit, love", Killian said when two were already outside David's office.

 _What a ride_ , David thought. He was glad for Killian and Emma, though. They seemed like really nice people. David knew the three of them were going to get along just fine.

During lunch time, David ran to the coffee shop from yesterday. He knew his chances of meeting the beautiful brunette were slim, but he had to try. He wouldn't stop until he meet her again. He had to.

Unfortunately his mission was in vain. She wasn't there. When he asked the same waitress from yesterday, the girl simply said the the woman hadn't stop by. David ordered his lunch anyway and quickly ate it.

The afternoon passed like a flash. David had a lot of catching up with Gold's cases. He didn't waste anytime on that and spent the day behind piles of paper.

Around six, Killian knocked on his door. "Ready?"

"Uhm… Yes", David responded still quite dizzy from all the papers he read that afternoon. He stood up. "Let me just get my coat and we're good to go."

Emma was waiting by the elevator. The two men saw her gossiping with Ruby when they arrived.

"Talking about me, I hope", Killian raised an eyebrow to the ladies, trying to use his old charms.

"Get you head out of your ass, Jones", Emma said, rolling her eyes.

"Ouch", Killian dramatically put his hand on his chest, "You hurt me so, love."

Emma and Ruby couldn't help but laugh. He was charming indeed.

"Wanna tag along, Ruby?", Emma asked.

"Sorry, guys, I can't leave until the big boss does", she shrugged.

"He's still here? I thought he was on a business trip to Boston", Emma furrowed her eyebrows.

"He cancelled. I think some personal problems appeared", Ruby replied, raising an eyebrow. That's really all you needed to know. No one dared to asked any further. Everyone knew that Gold's personal life was extremely private, and that's exactly how he liked it.

But Killian opened his big mouth. "Is it Neal again?", he asked with a grin while staring at Emma. "You know, David, Emma here used to have a thing with the boss' son", he said looking at David now. You could tell he was having too much fun with this.

"Killian!", Emma slapped his arm, "Could you not?! Jesus!", she turned red, but everyone laughed. "Well, ok then", she said taking a breath, "We'll see you tomorrow", Emma waved while Killian winked and David nodded.

When they got to the bar, they quickly found a table and sit, already ordering three beers.

Killian caught David staring at nowhere. "So, mate, you're awfully quiet", he put a hand on David's shoulder and squeezed it. "Having trouble adjusting? I know the big city and Gold at the same time can be a challenge."

"No, no, I'm really happy to be in New York and especially working at Gold's", he answered honestly, while Killian and Emma listened fully. "It's just that I met someone yesterday and I can't get her off of my head."

"A-ha! So we're talking about a woman here!", Killian said cheerfully. "I knew it!"

Emma gave him a questioning look and the beers arrived. She nodded a polite "thank you" for the waitress.

"It was quite obvious, love!", Killian replied Emma. "The man is smitten! You can see it in his eyes."

David laughed and Emma turned to look at him, already excited about the conversation. She gave him a look to encourage him to talk.

"I guess you could say that", David smiled and nodded in realization. "I dare to say I'm in love, guys", he knew he was in love. He also knew that he barely knew her. His smile faded.

"When are you gonna see her again?", Emma asked.

"That's just it! I only know her name, where she occasionally drinks coffee and I also know that she's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

Emma sighed and surprised herself. She didn't know she was such a hopeless romantic. "Well…?", she encouraged him to continue, "What is her name?"

"Regina", David said softly. He loved the way it sounded. Wow, he really is in love. He got lost for a few moments. "You guys think I'm crazy, right?", he asked.

"No, not at all!", Emma said reassuringly. "Not anyone gets the chance to feel what you have experienced with this woman", she pressed her hand onto his.

"Don't worry, mate", Killian said while lifting his cup for a toast, "Everything is going to turn out just fine. Here's to the jobs we almost killed for and the lost loves we would die to find."

The three lifted their cups.

"You're gonna see her again, David", Emma whispered to him, "I can tell", she winked.

David smiled and his mind drifted to those few minutes he spent with the future Mrs. Nolan. He knew they would see each other again. He just couldn't bare the wait.

* * *

 **Thoughts?! Let me know!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello there! Thank you for the feedback, it warms my heart to see that people want to see more of this. I hope I can keep up with everyone's expectations. I hope you all like this chapter, I swear I'm putting a lot of heart and hard work into this.**

 **Enjoy! And don't forget to leave a review, they are more important than you know! :)**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO**

Weeks had passed since David and Regina's first and only encounter. He still went to that same coffee shop every single day in hopes to see her again. True is, he was starting to lose hope. If the darn woman weren't so amazing, he would already have forgotten about this. But he couldn't. He wouldn't. He wanted her. He needed her. He had never felt something so strong in his entire life. Now here he was, with the job of his dreams and he couldn't even concentrate enough.

"Still with us, Mr. Nolan?", Gold asked coldly from the center of the table, where he was sitting.

"Yes, yes, apologies", David cleared his throat. He adjusted himself in the chair and stared at Gold.

At this, Gold nodded and continued with the meeting. David could see Emma on his left with the corner of his eye. She was worried about him. The last few weeks had taken a toll on David and everyone close enough to him could see it.

"So we're done here and I'll see you all tonight", Gold finished and walked out of the room, allowing everyone that was sitted around the big table to get up and leave the room too.

Emma quickly approached her friend. "David, what were you doing?", she asked him in a whisper. People were still leaving the room.

"I-I just got lost in thoughts, that's all", he said, trying to justify his behavior.

"Yeah, mate, you're not gonna lose your job too if you keeping acting like that next to Gold, you know that", Killian said coming closer.

"Is it still that woman?", Emma asked putting a hand on his arm.

David sighed and nodded. He knew he was acting like a lunatic. He met the woman one time weeks ago, talked to her for 10 minutes. He knew nothing about her except her first name, which wasn't very promising. He knew he had very slim chances of ever seeing again, let alone have a real conversation with her. Yet he still couldn't shake that feeling that Regina was the woman of his life. He knew she was.

"Not to be a killjoy here, but you need to think less of that Regina you don't have and more of the job you do have", Emma said. "At this point, this woman seems less and less like a reality. Your reality now is your job, which is also going to turn into a fantasy unless you stop thinking about her", Emma knew she was being harsh, but she already loved David like a brother and she loved working with him. She didn't want to lose that.

David looked down.

"I'm sorry", Emma said sincerely.

"I know", David nodded again.

Everyone took a deep breath.

"Now heads up", Killian said happily, he wanted to cheer thing up a bit. "We have a party tonight!" Any excuse to get drunk was a good excuse on his book.

"I guess you're right", David sighed, "I could really use some alcohol."

"That's what we're talking about!", Killian put a hand on David's shoulder.

"Ok, so we'll see you tonight, right?", Emma asked cautiously.

"Sure." David didn't really want to go. But he knew he had to. He decided he had to forget (at least, momentarily) Regina. Right now his job was at stake and he couldn't lose it. Not after everything he did to get it.

xxxxx

At night fall, David put on his best suit. Tonight's event was a big event. Gold Law was going to held a fundraiser for orphanages all over New York. This kind of thing is big around the country, it gathered the most powerful people in the city. It was a chance to expose the company in an attempt to make it even bigger. It was all more business than charity. Just like Gold liked it. It was also a chance for David to put up a good and professional face to impress his boss.

David got to the party around 8 o'clock. He quickly spotted Killian and Emma close to the bar. He smiled and waved and started to walk into their direction. Killian was just as handsome as David and Emma looked amazing.

"Emma, you look beautiful", David said while he kissed her on the cheek.

"Why, thank you very much, sir", Emma smiled and him. "You're not so bad yourself!", she joked while measuring him up and down.

He turned to Killian. "Jones, if I didn't know any better, I'd say this is your most expensive suit."

Killian narrowed his eyes. "Don't mess with me, mate, you know I have several expensive suits for different occasions", he readjusted his tie.

They all laughed and ordered a few drinks. The three turned at the same time to spot Gold. He was engaged in conversation with two other businessmen in what appeared to be a very serious conversation.

"How many billions are just in that triangle?", Emma asked with a sigh.

"I'd guess quite a few", David sighed. He took a sip of his drink. He couldn't deny he envied Gold's power and success. A man like him could get whatever he wanted.

"I wonder where's his wife, though?", Emma said looking around. "We never really see her. This is the kind of event she'd make an appearance."

"You two know her?", David asked curiously.

"Just socially", Emma replied. "Like I said, they are very private and it's rare to see her around. I never even held a conversation with her other than small talk", she said trying to remember.

David nodded. "What about their son? Neal, was it?", he looked at Emma.

Emma glared at him.

"Oh, it's not their son", Killian corrected David. "God, no, Neal is from his first marriage. It's Gold's only child."

David arched his eyebrows and nodded in acknowledgment. "By the way, aren't you going to tell me what happened between you two?", David asked her.

She glared at him again and sighed. "It was ages ago, we were in high school. Of course, at that time I didn't know he was Gold's son, I didn't even know who Gold was", she said. "But he was a rebel, got us into trouble several times. Until one time it was serious and police almost got me, so I just broke up with him. I wanted something different for my life, obviously."

"Was it serious?", David asked.

"I liked him a lot", Emma said, remembering their time together. "He was fun and a free spirit. He was an adventurer, wanted to see the world, didn't care about money or status. He always talked about how strict his father was and how he wanted to have his own life. Which is why he was always rebelling and getting himself into trouble, I guess. Maybe he just wanted his father's attention."

They all looked at Gold again.

"Now knowing it's Gold, it kind of makes sense", Emma continued. "He does seems like the tough parent."

"Well, he sure ain't the soft boss", Killian said matter-of-factly.

They all nodded in agreement.

"Does Gold know about you two?", David asked.

Emma stop to think for a moment. "I don't think so", she said. "Or he doesn't care, I don't know. It's not like it's a topic conversation between me and him", she laughed.

Just then they were interrupted by Ruby. "Hey guys!", she kissed each one.

"Hi Ruby", Emma said kindly, "How are you?"

"I'm good!", Ruby replied happily. She was one of those people who were always in a good mood. "So what were you guys talking about?"

"Oh, you know", Emma shrugged while Ruby got herself a drink, "Just about Gold's personal life", she whispered.

"Uh, I love it already", Ruby said with sparkling eyes. She loved to gossip and everyone knew that.

"Hey, your grandma works at his house, doesn't she?", Killian asked, remembering this fact.

David looked at Ruby surprised.

"Yes, she does."

"Oh, I had forgotten about that! Ruby, please, spill the beans! You must know everything!", Emma pleaded.

Ruby laughed. "Ugh, I'm so very sorry to say that my grandma doesn't open her mouth about it. Trust me, I've tried it to make her talk", she made a frustrated face.

Emma sighed. "Your grandma must really like Gold."

"On the contrary", Ruby said getting the attention of the three of them. "That's the one thing I know. Granny can't stand Gold", she whispered, afraid someone else might hear, even though it was practically impossible considering the loud noises of talk and music in the room.

Everyone gave her a quizzical look.

"Then why does she work there?", David asked.

"I don't know, she won't say it", Ruby said before taking a sip of her drink. "But she says she has to stay there." She stopped to think. "She isn't miserable there, she likes working in that house. She just doesn't like _him_ ", she discretely pointed at Gold.

That made everyone weirdly suspicious.

"Anyway", Ruby said to change the subject, "I think Mary Margaret has a thing for you", she put her finger on David's chest, teasing him.

Killian started laughing like it was the biggest joke he ever heard. Emma was trying hard not to laugh.

"What?!", David asked as he was starting to blush.

"Yeah, yeah!", Ruby said. "I, as a receptionist, have to know everything about everyone, of course, and I've heard some talking. Apparently she has a crush on you", she smooched lips as a joke.

"I-I-I don't know what to say", David lost himself. He turned to his two friends "And you two are not helping."

"So sorry, mate, I don't know why this is so funny!", Killian was holding his chest to contain himself, "Maybe it's because it's pretty obvious."

"That's true, she's always making heart eyes at you", Emma completed.

"Well, you two should know she's actually a very nice person and an excellent secretary", David said.

"I never said she wasn't", Killian replied, "But this is an impossible quest for her, poor thing."

"Am I missing something?", Ruby asked, arching her eyebrows.

"Our brother here", Killian touched David's chest, "Is in love with a ghost, apparently."

Suddenly, the door of the saloon opened and a woman arrived. The entrance was a few stairs above the room, so everyone looked up to see who it was.

David couldn't believe his eyes. There she was. Regina. She looked absolutely stunning and breathtaking in a long fitted black dress. She almost felt like a vision. David froze, he didn't know what to do. He just wanted to run those stairs and say something. Was he dreaming? Was it real? What was happening?

"Regina", he whispered in a smile.

Just as he was about to walk towards her, he felt a hand on his arm. "Woah, woah, there", Killian said. David ignored him and kept looking at the woman. "You mean THAT'S your Regina?", he arched his eyebrows in shock. His tone got David's attention. Killian didn't need a answer, his friend's eyes already said it all.

"Oh, mate, I'm so sorry", Killian swallowed and nodded to make David look at the woman again. David gave him a questioning look.

Just as David turned, he could see Regina taking Gold's hand while he assisted her in coming down the stairs. When she got down, Gold placed his hand on her waist and kissed the side of her neck, followed by a whisper in her ear that only she could hear. Regina showed a small smile. To everyone there, they seemed the perfect couple.

Everyone made the same connection at the same time. His Regina was Mrs. Gold. What were the chances?

"No", it was all that David managed to whisper. He didn't know if he was shocked, angry, sad, heartbroken or mad.

"Looks like it's not a ghost, after all", Ruby said while sipping her drink as Emma and Killian looked at each other with concerned eyes and back to David's back.

* * *

 **There you have it! Thoughts?**


	3. Chapter 3

**First of all, thank you for the feedback again! Each review fills my heart with joy! As you can see, I'm trying to post once a week and so far it's good and I'm managing well. I hope I can continue to post regularly like this. I wish I could post more often, but I don't want to promise something and then not keep it.**

 **But you all should really share more of your thoughts, so I know if I'm doing the right thing or not, trust me, it's more helpful than you think. This is a longer chapter, btw, so I hope it doesn't bore you all, lmao!**

 **Anyway, here it goes! Enjoy!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER THREE**

Regina looked herself in the mirror. She couldn't recognize the person she was seeing anymore. She was wearing a killer black dress and years ago that would make her feel like the most desirable woman in the world. She used to have a lot of self confidence, something that years and years of abuse managed to pull out of her. She used to be happy.

Regina Mills came from a traditional New York City wealthy family. She was the only daughter of Henry and Cora Mills. The family's business was horses. Creation, reproduction, competition, everything you could think of. Their animals were the most valuable in the United States. Spending most of her time with horses, Regina grew up in love with them. She started riding at a very young age and soon was a promising equestrian. She knew she could spent the rest of her life with horses and be happy. She begin competing when she was 8 and by the time she was 15 she already had a collection of medals, something that made her parents extremely proud. They wanted her to excel in everything in life, they wanted her to always be a winner, so she did all kinds of classes a young woman should do to behave well in society. She was the perfect daughter.

But Regina didn't care about any of this. She even stopped liking riding horses so much because of the pressure to be the perfect equestrian. She wanted to be a veterinarian and take care of horses for the rest of her life. She was just sorry that her parents didn't feel the same way.

On her 18th birthday, Regina was in a terrible car accident that broke her right left in several places. She could never compete again. The accident destroyed her life in many other aspects, though. She lost her boyfriend, Daniel, who was driving the car. They met when she was sixteen and he was working at her family's stables. Of course her parents didn't approve of this relationship, but she couldn't care less. They had been together for almost two years and were completely in love when Daniel promised her that they would run away, get married and spent the rest of their lives taking care of horses, their passion. They were running away when the accident happened. It was the worst time of her life.

The accident also ruined her family. Her parents, who never dealt well with money, were already on the verge of bankruptcy when it all happened and they had to spent all the rest of their money on her expenses with hospital and therapy. Until this day, her mother likes the point that she was the one that caused their downfall.

But her mother was a clever woman. She knew what she had to do to get back her life status. So she found the perfect suitor for Regina: Robert Gold, one of the most powerful men of the Country. They had already met in a few previous occasions and didn't fail to notice the way Gold looked at her daughter. At the time he was a divorced man with a son that was Regina's age. What any mother in good conscience would call an absurdity, Cora called an opportunity.

It all happened before Regina could notice. She wasn't strong enough to protest, she had lost all kinds of hope the day she lost Daniel, she was numb. Her mother insisted that this marriage was exactly what Regina needed, she was going to be a "queen" and Cora was going to restore her life status as it used to be. She was 21 years when she walked down the aisle towards a man that she barely knew.

Her marriage with Gold was loveless. Worse than that, it was a nightmare. Gold was never the caring husband, on the contrary. After just a few months into their marriage, he started to get abusive with her. He forced himself on her whenever he wanted, but who could call that rape when their were married? Then the beating started. The first time he hit her he did it because she gave some money to Neal after he begged her to help him get out of some trouble he got himself into. Regina saw in Neal the same unhappiness she was feeling, that sense of being lost in the world, so she helped him. But of course Gold found out. Regina had never seen anything like the rage she saw in Gold's eyes. He got so mad he broke three of her ribs, plus her left arm and two horrible bruises on her face, one which resulted in a scar just above her upper lip. "You think you have any say in my money or my son?!", he yelled at her.

After that night, Gold said he was terribly sorry and would never do it again. Regina didn't believe him and she was right to trust her feelings. The second time he hit her, he did it because she was on the phone with an old friend called Archie. Gold got insanely jealous, called her the most horrible things, beat her and kept repeating that she was his. He also cut any form of contact with her friends.

Then, the wrong look or response could send Gold in a rampage. Regina learned through the years to be the submissive wife her husband and mother wanted her to be. She stood quiet and only did things of her husband's approval. She was a prisoner. And she only wanted to find her old self again, that happy young girl with dreams and hopes. And she knew, deep down, she was still that person.

They've been together for almost 15 years now and Regina was thankful that the beatings had decreased. _Either he's getting old or he knows I'll never really leave him_ , she thought. It's not like she didn't want to leave him. In fact, she tried more than once. But he caught her every single time and made her regret her decisions. At one point, Regina simply gave up.

Regina was thankful for Granny. Mrs. Lucas had been Gold's housekeeper for a very long time now, even before their marriage. On the night Gold hit Regina for the first time, Granny found her lying down on the bedroom floor, blood all over her face. She was horrified, she knew Gold was dangerous but she didn't know what he was capable of. Since that day, they've been close, caring for one another. Regina loved her like a mother and Granny loved her like a daughter. Granny is the only person that knows about Gold's abuse, always taking care of Regina after the beatings. She's not a fool, she knows she's not getting younger and her job is getting more difficult with time. But she also knows that she could never leave Regina.

Regina cut her thoughts and stopped rolling her wedding ring around her finger while lost in memories. She sighed and looked at herself one last time in the mirror before getting out of her room.

She looked at the clock on her way out and realized she was late. It wasn't her fault. The maid accidentally ruined the dress she was going to wear, so she had to come up with a different one. But Gold was going to be furious nonetheless. She hurried to the front door of their mansion, where her driver was waiting.

When they got there, the driver ran to open to door for Regina and she took a deep breath and got out of the car. She quickly made her way to the saloon and when the guard opened the door, she saw an ocean of faces looking at her. She spotted Gold and he came towards her, giving her his hand so she could come down the stairs.

Regina turned her head slightly as her husband kissed the side of her neck.

"Be a good girl", Gold whispered in her ear.

She wanted to make a disgusted face, but new better than to cause a scene, so she forcibly smiled. A smile that didn't reach her eyes, though. Anyone playing close attention could see that the happiness she showed with her lips were hiding a sadness in her eyes. But no one paid close attention and she was good at hiding her feelings. She had to master using a mask to pretend to the whole world that she was fine. Better than fine, actually. Anyone looking at her could see a confident woman, lucky to be married to such a man as Robert Gold.

Gold guided her to a few men he was talking to earlier.

"Mrs. Gold", an older man said while grabbing her hand and leading it to his mouth to kiss, "What a pleasure."

"Leopold, how are you?", she faked a smile. Any friend of Gold's wasn't worth her spit. Regina noticed he had a very young blonde woman next to him, one that wasn't her wife, might she add. She simply nodded to girl politely.

"Is it possible that you are getting more beautiful each time I see you?", he said shamelessly.

"I ask myself the same question everyday, my friend", Gold interfered while squeezing her waist.

"You are one lucky man, Robert", Leopold said again to which the men all nodded.

"Don't I know it?", Gold smiled while kissing Regina's cheek.

Regina could only keep up with her fake smiles. All these interactions make want for vomit. After half an hour of pretending to be pleasant, she needed some air. She looked outside at the balcony and excused herself.

xxxxx

From across the room, David, Killian, Emma and Ruby kept staring at Regina. _What had just happened?_ , Emma thought to herself. She turned to David, he looked crushed. She felt incredibly sorry for him. The man spent weeks and weeks thinking and talking about this woman just to find out she's their boss' wife. And from the little she knew of Regina, she now gets it why David felt so hypnotized by her, she was stunning, not to mention a lovely person. Emma touched his shoulder to get his attention again. "David?", she asked.

"What now?", he said with a sad voice, "What do I do?"

"I'm so sorry, buddy", she said. "If we had had any hints that your Regina was Gold's Regina", her eyes went wide just thinking of this scenario, "We would certainly have said something."

"How can I compete with that?", David asked gesturing to Gold.

"You can't", Killian said honestly. "And something tells me you also shouldn't", he warned.

David fell silent for a minute, pondering. He turned to the couple again and looked at Regina. His heart skipped a beat. He knew what he was feeling for her wasn't ordinary. He couldn't simply let that go. It could most certainly cost his job, he thought, the job he fought so hard to get. He then saw her walking alone towards the balcony outside. He didn't need to think twice. He made his decision and followed her. He couldn't even hear his friend's protests.

"This is gonna end badly", Ruby whispered and looked at the two lawyers.

Killian and Emma looked at each other after not stopping David to go outside . It's not like David was a child that needed to be told what to do or not to do. But as Ruby said, they knew this would end badly.

David got out into the balcony and spotted her in the corner. He looked back at the room and was thankful that people couldn't really see them outside and, better yet, weren't even paying attention. Regina had his back to him, her hands on the glass railing, she was looking at the view of the city at night. He saw as she took a deep breath and sighed.

"Beautiful view", David said approaching her.

She jumped slightly at the sound of a man's voice and turned around.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you", he said.

"It's ok", Regina smiled and looked down. She followed David with her eyes as he approached her. "Do I know you?", she asked trying to remember where she knew him from. She could swear she recognized those blue eyes.

"Uhm, yes, we met on a coffee shop a few weeks ago", David said trying to sound like he was sorry. He could see Regina still didn't remembered him. "I'm out of town, was newly employed", he continued, but still nothing. "I bumped into you?"

"Oh! Yeah, I remember you. David, right?"

They laughed. "Yes, that's me", David gestured his right hand up to grab hers, "David Nolan".

Regina looked down at his hand and put her right hand with his, surprising herself when he took her hand and brought it to his lips. He gently kissed the top of her hand, never letting her eyes scape his. It's funny how just moments before Leopold had done the same thing to Regina and it made her disgusted. David, however, made the moment completely intimate. Regina almost felt the air escaping her lungs. Those eyes could hypnotize her.

"Regina", she responded, not wanting to say her last name. She swallowed hard, "Regina Gold".

David almost flinched at her last name. He still didn't want to believe it. He dropped her hand, even though he wanted to keep holding it.

"It's nice seeing you again", Regina said honestly. She then remembered their short yet wonderful encounter at the coffee shop. "So how is that dream job of yours?", she asked trying to sustain a conversation.

"It's going really well", David replied, "I believe you might know a thing or two about it."

Regina have him a questioning look.

"I work at Gold Law, along with Emma and Killian", he continued.

"Ah", Regina sighed, "You work for Robert?", she asked while David nodded. "That was your dream job? To work with my husband?", she arched her eyebrows.

"I didn't know he was your husband then, otherwise I would probably not even have taken the job offer", he smiled.

Regina blushed and smiled, looking at her feet. _Is he flirting with me?_ , she thought.

"Trust me, I got very disappointed tonight when I learned that he's your husband", David smiled charmingly.

"Trust _me_ , when it comes to that, no one's more upset than me", Regina said honestly, surprising even herself. She was so used to wearing her mask to hide her true feelings, she had become an expert at that. But here she was, being completely honestly about her life with a man she barely knew. In fact, it was surprising that, somehow, for the second time, this man was making her feel like the woman she used to be. She felt different with him and yet she barely knew a thing about him. That was new.

Suddenly it hit Regina, she shouldn't have said that. _What is wrong with me?,_ she thought. She could see that David was very surprised with her revelation too and he was about to say something, but she cut him.

"So you're a lawyer", Regina said quickly.

David could see something was wrong, he just couldn't say exactly what. But her sadness was now hidden, that made his heart ache. He wanted to help her, but for now he would go along with the talk they were maintaining. "Yes, yes, I'm a lawyer."

"Are you on the good guys' side? Or the bad ones?", she teased him.

David chuckled. "I'm on the right side", he replied, "I never defend someone I don't believe in."

"That makes sense", Regina said.

"And may I ask what do you do, Regina?", David desperately wanted to know her better.

"Nothing", she looked down. Robert never allowed her to work. "I stay at home most of the time, but it's not so safe to be alone with my own thoughts that much", she chuckled, "So I often spend time at our stables, it's one of my favorite places in the whole world", she smiled thinking about her time with the horses.

David was enchanted to hear her talking, he could spent her life hearing her talk. "You like horses?", he asked.

"I do", she replied with love in her eyes, "They make me happy." Regina took a deep breath. "I used to be a professional rider, you know? Yeah, I won a lot of medals", she laughed as if she was talking about another person.

"Used to?", David asked. Regina nodded. "Why you're not anymore?"

Regina paused for a moment, thinking if she should relive those painful memories. And David cursed himself when he saw her eyes getting wet, clearly he was out of boundaries.

"I was in a very serious car accident", Regina said softly, "It took me months to recover". A tear started to fall on her cheek.

David raised his hand to her face and caressed her tear away with his fingers. Regina closed her eyes while he continued to caress her soft skin. It felt so good to receive affection like that, she almost didn't remember how it was.

"I'm so sorry", David said with hurt in his voice. He wanted to take her pain away.

Regina sighed, regaining her senses. "It's okay", she pulled away from David, "It was a long time ago". Regina wiped away the rest of her tears, recomposing herself. She wanted to spend the rest of the night with David's hand on her, but she knew she couldn't. She turned to look at the party. She knew she had to get back there, she just couldn't find her strength to do so, especially now that she had David's company.

Her gesture made David look at the party too. They could see Gold chattering with his old friends. Then Gold started to look around, searching the crowd for someone. It was obvious he was looking for his wife. Regina saw when he arched an eyebrow and sighed heavily. _This is not good_ , she thought to herself, she had pushed her luck.

"I have to get back there", Regina said still staring at Gold.

"Regina, you don't seem happy to be here", David said.

Regina turned to look at David. "That's because I'm not", she simply said and started walking towards the room again.

David's heart ached again as he watched her walk away. She clearly was an unhappy woman. What happened to make this beautiful woman feel like this? But he wouldn't let her go this time.

"Regina, wait", David said while quickly making a small run towards her and gently grabbing her arm, making her turn to him. "When am I going to see you again? Like this, I mean, alone, with nothing and no one to interfere us?"

Regina gave him a questioning look, but deep down, she had butterflies all over her stomach.

"I mean", David slid his hand and was now holding her left hand, "You can't tell me that I'm the only one that's feeling that there's something here".

Regina looked deep down his pleading eyes. She wanted to say that he wasn't alone, that she too was feeling something for him. Something that she didn't even quite knew yet. But it was like they knew each other from past lives. He seemed to understand her and care for her in a way that no one ever did. Of course she felt the connection. But she was smarter than that, so she denied herself. "It doesn't matter what I feel."

"Of course it does!", David said caressing her hand, "It's the only thing that matters".

Regina looked up and met his eyes. She spent her life hearing that her feelings didn't matter, that she didn't matter. And now here was David telling her the complete opposite.

Regina turned her gaze to the party again, she was worried that someone was going to see them. David noticed her concern and led her to the front of the balcony again, where they were a little more hidden from curious eyes. Since there was no light in the balcony, it was easier for someone outside to see the inside of the room than someone from inside to see the outside.

He took her other hand. "Look, I'm gonna say something now and I don't want you to be scared, you don't even have to say anything", he said as he looked deep into her dark eyes. "I fell in love with you the moment I saw your face for the first time. And I have been killing myself all this time because I couldn't find you. And seeing you this evening was the best thing that's ever happened to me since we first met. I know we hardly know each other, but that's ok, because I feel like I've known you my whole life, maybe even other lives, if there is such thing. And I know I probably look like an insane person right now and all of this sounds out-of-this-world crazy, but I can't stand to watch you walk away again without telling you this", David was breathing heavily now.

They stood quiet for a few moments and silence was killing both of them. David felt relieved to get all of this out of his chest but he also knew that this could push Regina away, he knew it was insane.

After what felt like hours, Regina finally spoke. "I can tell you one thing. It's not crazy", she smiled. "In a strange way, I understand everything that you're feeling." She couldn't believe what she was saying. She didn't know if it was her needy heart talking louder or if she really did share his feelings.

Those words restored hope into David's body. He let out a breath of relief. He raised his hand to caress her face again, but Regina stopped him midway by putting her hand on his arm. He gave her a questioning look.

"But listen, I'm married. To your boss, nonetheless", she said with sadness, revealing once again she wasn't happy with Gold. She took a step back and prepare herself to bring them both back to the real world, "This", she gestured to the both of them, "Can't happen. Won't happen. Ever. You should just forget everything that we said here".

Just as David was about to step forward and take her hand again, they were interrupted by someone.

"Regina, dearie, I was beginning to worry about you", Gold said coming closer. Both David and Regina jumped slightly at the voice they heard.

"Robert!", Regina swallowed hard, "I was just taking a bit of fresh air", she said with a shaky voice, making David look at her again, worried about her change of behaviour.

Gold raised his eyebrow to David. "I didn't know you knew my wife, Mr. Nolan", he narrowed his eyes.

"He didn't", Regina quickly replied, "He was just keeping me company for a bit".

"How thoughtful", Gold said sarcastically.

Gold approached them and grabbed Regina by the arm. He wasn't violent, but David could see that it was too hard of a grip and it was probably hurting her. "Next time, ask _me_ to keep you company", Gold said to her.

"Oh, I didn't want to interrupt your conversations, darling", Regina replied trying to make an excuse.

"You are always _my_ priority", Gold said looking her straight in the eyes. "Now come, you haven't talked to George yet", he said while dragging her towards the door. "Mr. Nolan", he nodded seriously to David.

Regina turned one last time to give David a sad smile. Oh, how he wished he had punched Gold right there and then. He then realized he was clenching his fists.

David watched them go and sighed heavily, releasing his hand. He turned to the city again, supporting his weight on his arms on the rail of the balcony. He looked down and scratched the back of his neck. Again, he felt helpless and didn't know what to do.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned. It was Killian.

"So, what happened?", Killian asked. "I saw Gold coming your way, but it was too late to try to stop him from seeing something he'd might not like."

"Nothing happened", David said disappointingly, "Except that now I know for sure that I'm in love with her. And I think she might have feelings for me too", he smiled. "But she's stuck with that man", he said like it was poison in his mouth.

"That 'man' being our boss, let me remind you", Killian completed for David.

"I think he's no good for her, Killian, I'm serious. You should see her fear when he got here, and how he simply grabbed her. Something's very wrong there."

They both turned to look at the couple in the room. Gold had his arm possessively on Regina's waist while they were talking to another one of Gold's friend, George, and his wife. He could see the uneasiness on Regina's face, although she was masking it very well.

"Alright, just don't do anything you'll regret later, ok? He's still your boss", Killian said, "And nothing good can come out of this situation."

David didn't answer. He simply walked into the room again, followed by Killian.

He turned to his friend. "You know what, I'm gonna go home, I feel like walking a bit. You say goodbye to Emma and Ruby for me, will ya?", David said patting Killian on the back, to which he responded with a nod.

David got up the stairs to the door and gave one last look to Regina. She was now talking to Ruby and a few other ladies. She was laughing at something Ruby was saying to her. She looked beautiful. Just when he thought she wouldn't see him, she turned her gaze up and met his eyes, flashing him a smile. Now he knew he was screwed.

* * *

 **Let me remind you, each review makes my heart smile! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Goodnight, everyone! Thank you so much for the kind and excited reviews! I am absolutely loving it to see your reactions. And thank you for keeping up with me and my avarage writing skills, lol. I really am enjoying every bit of it!**

 **Have a great reading and don't forget to review!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER FOUR**

The alarm set off. It was 6:45am. David simply lifted his hand to stop the loud noise. He wasn't sleeping actually. How could he after everything that happened last night? After he left the building, he went home walking, which was an insane idea considering how far he was from home. But he needed to clear his mind and walking was the best way to do it. Since then he hasn't stopped thinking about Regina and how he was head over heels in love with her, or Gold and how he was getting suspicious about him. He just knew there was something extremely wrong and he intended to find out.

David jumped out of the bed. Despise the lack of sleep, he wasn't tired at all. Probably the adrenaline running through his body and all the thoughts he couldn't get out of his head. He took a quick shower and got dressed for work. He grabbed some coffee on the way.

David saw one of the elevators going up and made a quick run to catch it in time. He was faced by two elegant young women, who he greeted politely. _Probably from the fashion magazine on the 19th floor_ , he thought. He made his way to the back of the elevator and was left staring at their backs.

"You know, I went to that benefit party last night", the blonde woman said to the brunette.

"What- How?", the brunette asked.

David could see that they were trying to be discreet by almost whispering, but he could still listen to everything.

"Well, you know, I went with Leopold", the blonde said, looking at her nails.

"No, you didn't!", her friend made a shock face and gently smacked the blonde on the arm. "What about his wife?!"

"Honey, please, I don't give a damn about his weeny wife. He obviously wanted to display me!", she laughed. "Anyways, you know who I met there?", she asked with a shameless face, her friend shook her head. "Robert. Gold. You know, the _big_ boss from the top floor?", she arched her eyebrows.

The brunette made a gesture for her to go on.

"Well, he isn't that charming in person as I thought he would be. But let me tell you, with that bank account, I'd marry that man in a heartbeat. It's probably what his wife thought", she laughed.

"Ugh, I bet she's a bitch", the brunette said with a poisonous voice, making David clench his jaw.

"Oh yeah! I mean, she arrived late, which is like, the most obvious way to draw attention, right. Then she disappeared for, like, half an hour", the blonde made a disgusted face. "Her husband had to go and find her, like what even?"

"Oh, my God, that is hilarious", her friend replied.

"Oh, my God!", the blonde said as if remembering the latest gossip, "I have to tell you something I heard from Annie", she said, lowering her voice. She then turned to see if David was listening to them, but he successfully pretended to be uninterested while reading his emails on his phone. "Annie spotted Gold's wife on the street a few months ago and guess what? She said she had the nastiest bruise on her face! Can you imagine?", the blonde was a mixture of shock and laughter, which made David's blood boil under his skin.

"Holy shit, are you serious?", the brunette asked with equal reaction.

Then the elevator door opened and the two women started to leave, but they continued to talk. "I'm telling you! Annie said she was wearing, like, huge sunglasses, but of course you could still see the black eye", she laughed again.

David almost followed them, but stopped at the door to keep on listening.

"I mean, how stupid you have to be to get beaten by your own husband?", was the last thing David heard before the doors closed.

David closed his eyes, sighed, clenched his fists and punched the elevator wall. He would have continued to punch it, but thankfully the elevator was already reaching his floor, otherwise security would have to scourt him out, and that wasn't going to be a pretty view.

David quickly made his way to the reception. "Hey Ruby", he said.

"Good morning, David!", she said turning her gaze up to look at him. "Why are you panting? Did you came running to the office?", she joked and laughed a little bit.

David chuckled. "I wish that was the case. Hey, is Gold here?"

"No, he's not, and he won't be coming today either. He's going to Boston for a few meetings, probably will come back tonight or early tomorrow. Why?"

"Nothing", David said and started to walk away, his head full of thoughts. He then turned back to the counter. "Could you do me a favor?"

"Sure! What's up?"

"What is Gold's address?"

Ruby then realized what he was thinking. "David…", she said with a ton a rebuke.

"Please, Ruby, please, you have to help me", he pleaded her.

"David, you don't know what you are doing", Ruby replied.

"But I do", he said with pain in his voice. "Please."

Ruby lead out a heavy sigh and looked down. She paused for a few seconds to think about what she was going to do.

"Fine", she finally said. Then she began writing something in a small piece of paper. "Here", she handed him the paper. "But you didn't get it from me. And please, don't do anything stupid."

David smiled. "Thank you", he mouthed, to which she simply nodded.

David got back in the elevator. He wasn't going to work today. Just as the door closed, the next elevator opened its door. It was Emma.

"Morning, Ruby, is David here yet?"

"You just missed him."

Emma frowned and gave Ruby a questioning look. "What do you mean?"

Ruby then stood up and supported herself on the counter. It was a sign that she was going to some whispering.

"He's going to Gold's", she said softly and gave Emma the same concerned look.

"He's going after Regina", Emma said in realization. Ruby nodded. "Shit."

xxxxx

Regina set across her mirror. It was early in the morning and she didn't actually slept the night before. She couldn't stop thinking about David, his kind eyes, his soft hands, his declaration. Of course she felt something about him. She smiled at the thought of them being together one day. But she wasn't stupid, she knew that was an impossible dream.

She then remembered when they got home last night. Gold yelled at her. " _What the hell were you thinking?! Disappearing like that?!", strike one. "Leaving me like that?", strike two. "Flirting with one of my employees?", strike three._ Nothing that she could have said was going to make him stop, so she didn't bothered. " _Don't test me, Regina. Do that again and I'll fucking kill you"._

She strongly closed her eyes at the recent memories.

But Regina was actually happy. Despite the ugly events from yesterday, which was something she was sadly used to, she had a beautiful moment with David. One which she'll always remember it fondly. Plus Gold was already on his way to Boston and she loved to be away from him, even if for just a day.

"Ok, let me see it", Granny suddenly entered her room with a first-aid kit. This became a common occurrence between them. Granny would always take care of Regina, not only her injuries, but they used to have long conversations, which helped the younger woman more than she could ever tell.

Regina turned away from the mirror and looked at Granny. "It's not that bad", she said, turning to look at herself once again, pushing her hair from her forehead and staring at the cut just below her hairline. Regina had already cleaned it up during the night, but she didn't mind Granny helping her. She was also left with a small bruise, which was now purple already, on her cheek. The pain on the ribs, however, was hurting a lot more. She just hoped he hadn't rebroke them.

Granny approached Regina and put a hand on her chin to make her look up. "Yep, you're right, maybe he is getting old after all", she said, which made Regina chuckle softly. After so many years of abuse, she started to find little things to laugh about. Otherwise she knew she would go crazy.

"I thought he knew better than to hurt your face", Granny stated, to which Regina simply shrugged.

It's true. Six years ago a former partner of the office spotted Regina with a black eye and a bruise on her arm (both which she awkwardly tried to hide) on the streets and threatened to report it. The guy was never seen again. The talk of the office is that he resigned and moved out of the country. But both Granny and Regina knew the truth. In a way, Regina was thankful. That was the event that made Gold reduce his beatings sessions.

Granny cleaned up her cut again and put on a small band aid. She then passed a balm around her cheek to help with the bruising. Regina then started to put on some makeup in an attempt to hide the purple. She took a deep breath, which made her remember the pain in her ribs, so she automatically led her right hand to her left side and closed her eyes in response to the pain.

Granny noticed her movements. "Hard to breath, huh?", to which Regina simply nodded.

Granny sat at the edge of Gold and Regina's bed, already perfectly tidy. She looked at Regina and stopped for a moment. "What happened, child? It has been a while."

"I know, Granny", Regina said. "But maybe, I don't know, maybe I deserved it this time."

"What kind of nonsense is that now?", Granny said with an angry voice.

Regina sighed. "I met someone last night. I mean, it was the second time I saw him", she said biting her lip excitedly.

Granny smiled softly. "Do tell me."

"His name is David", Regina said his name like it was the sweetest thing her lips have ever said. "He's kind, funny, sweet, not to mention very easy on the eyes", she laughed. "We only talked for a few minutes each time, but it's like I've known him my entire life. When he looked at me I felt butterflies all over my stomach as if I was a little girl with a crush", she chuckled. "Have you ever felt that, Granny?"

Granny was so enthralled with Regina's words and excitement that she almost didn't notice that she was asking her a question. It's just that it's been such a long time since she's seen her sweet girl smile like this. She sighed in remembrance. "Once. With my great late husband. He was a wonderful man", Granny said. "But let's not talk about me, I want to know everything about a man that can make you smile like this".

Regina smiled kindly at her and then looked away. "I haven't felt this since… Daniel", Regina paused for a moment, taking in her sadness. She closed her eyes to stop the tears. She swallowed and continued to talk about David, "In a perfect world, I'd be running off in a white horse with him, as if he was my knight in shining armour." Then her eyes turned sad again.

Granny noticed her change of reaction and turned worried. "What is it, my dear?"

"I'm not a fool, Granny. It's just a dream. A lovely, wonderful, perfect dream. You and I both know that real life, _my_ real life, is much different than that", Regina sighed heavily.

Granny stood up and went to Regina, raised her chin again and wiped her tears carefully. "My sweet child, there's nothing in this world I want more than your happiness. And no one deserves it more than you. Maybe it's time you got after it."

"Granny", Regina started, "You've been here every single time I tried to escape this nightmare. And you know how that turned out for me", she said with a breaking voice.

Granny caressed her cheek. "Well, my senses are telling me that things are about to change, my sweetheart", and she fleshed Regina her most kind smile. "And I don't know this guy, but I already like him. Anyone who can make you smile like that has my love and full support."

Just then the doorbell rang. They both jumped slightly.

"Who can it be this early in the morning?", Regina asked frowning her brows.

"I'll go see, the maids are probably in the kitchen."

Just as Granny was about to leave, Regina stopped her by the hand. "Thank you for everything as always, Granny. I love you", she said while kissing the older woman hand.

"I love you too, my sweet girl", Granny winked and turned to leave as soon as Regina released her hand.

"Oh!", Regina said, "If it is for me-", she gestured her bruised face and shook her head.

"I know, I know, you're not available", Granny said in understanding. She knew Regina didn't like people seeing her like this. And she shouldn't be seen like this, anyway.

Regina smiled. "Thank you. I'll be at the garden taking care of my apples."

Granny nodded and left the room. She ran downstairs and reached the front door. She got a little bit tired from that little run. This house was getting too big for her, or she was just getting too old for it. She opened the door and was faced with a handsome young man.

"Good morning", Granny asked.

"Good morning", David replied, "I-uhm-I-I-Is this Robert Gold's residence?", he said looking around. Behind the old lady he could see an enormous marble staircase. Everyone is usually very impressed with the mansion when they first see it.

"Yes, it is."

"I'm looking for Regina Gold."

"Mrs. Gold is not available at the moment", Granny said and watched as the man's face fell down. "Is there something else I can do for you?"

"Do you know when or where I can find her?"

"I'm sorry, but Mrs. Gold's schedule is private", she said and observed him again. There was something about him. "Unless, of course, you tell me who you are and what exactly is it that you want with her."

"I'm David Nolan", he said and Granny widened her eyes in surprise. "I-I work with Mr. Gold."

"You're David", Granny asked trying to hide her excitement. Putting two and two together, she was a smart woman. Of course she knew this was Regina's David.

David nodded but didn't quite understood her reaction. She couldn't possibly know a thing about him, right?

"I'm Mrs. Lucas, the housekeeper", Granny said.

David realized who this woman was. "Ah, you're Ruby's grandmother", he smiled.

"Also that", Granny laughed. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Nolan", she reached her hand out.

David shook her hand. "Likewise, Mrs. Lucas", he said. "So, I really need to speak to Regina, is there anything you can do to help me?", he pleaded.

Granny smiled. She knew what was going on. And damned her if she didn't do anything in her power to help Regina get her happy ending. "She doesn't want to be bothered at the moment", she begun and David was about to say something but she cut him, "But!", she continued, "I don't know, something tells me she's in the garden right now", Granny raised an eyebrow.

David's smiled widened. "Can I see her?"

"Yes, just be very quiet. And don't tell her I told you", she winked at the man and he chuckled. "Just around the house, she's probably on the back taking care of her apple tree."

David was about to leave when Granny stopped him.

"Oh, and David", she started, "Please, be kind."

She didn't need a response. David's look already told her everything she needed to know. This man was in love with Regina. And he was a kind man, she could tell. And Granny knew Regina's feelings were mutual. This is exactly what Granny spent years and years praying and hoping for.

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 **Thoughts, please?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello there! Again, thank you for the feedback. Although I have to admit there wasn't a lot, but hopefully this chapter will be more of your liking, lol. Now enjoy and your reading and don't forget to leave a review! They really encourage and inspire me to write!**

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 **CHAPTER FIVE**

David walked around the house for what felt like minutes. He kept looking at the mansion until he spotted the huge garden behind it. Then he saw Regina with her back to him, kneeled on the ground by the tree, picking a few apples and putting them on a basket. He could only see her back but he knew she was beautiful like this. It was early so the sun was still gentle but it illuminated her in ways that made her vision seem like a dream.

"Regina?", David called her softly.

He could see that she tensed it up and stopped what she was doing right away. But she didn't turn and instead kept looking forward, steadying her arms on her knees.

"David?", she asked still looking at the grass. Her voice was a mixture of surprise and fear. "I thought I said I didn't want to be bothered", she then said with a harsh voice.

"Regina, I had to see you again", David pleaded. "Last night…", he said but couldn't manage to find words, "I-I couldn't leave it at that."

Regina let out a gasp and looked down. How was she supposed to get out of this situation? David couldn't see her like this, what would he think of her? She started to mentally process all her alternatives. She could run inside the house. _No, that's just pathetic_ , she thought to herself. She could tell him to leave her alone. Yeah, she should do that.

"David, please, just leave me alone", she said half demanding, half begging.

"Regina, I don't believe that's what you really want", David replied.

Regina let out a huge breath, clenched her fists, got up in a second and started to walk away without even peeking at David. Then he knew something was off. "Regina, please!", he called her. He reached her and wrapped his fingers on her arm, quickly turning her around to face him. He wasn't exactly prepared for what he saw. Her face broke his heart. She quickly turned her head away from his gaze, looking down. But he wasn't going to let that go. He gently put his finger on her chin, lifting it up. Their gaze met and yer eyes were already wet from the tears that were about to come.

"God, Regina, what happened?", David asked with hurt and worry in his voice. He didn't exactly know why he was asking, he knew what must have happened to her last night. He saw how Gold treated her.

Regina pretend to laugh and looked away again, she couldn't bare to look into his eyes. "You know what, I-I-I'm so clumsy, I hit myself opening the car door last night and-", she was cut by David.

"Regina, you don't have to lie to me", David pleaded while putting a string of her hair behind her ear. Her fake smile faded away. "And don't make excuses for _him_ ", he said the last word like it was poison.

At the mention of Gold, Regina looked up at David. She licked her lips as David moved his hand to her cheek. He gently caressed her skin and it immediately made Regina remember last night when he did the same gesture. It was so simple, yet it meant so much. She felt safe and secure with him. As gentle as he could, David put his fingers on her nasty bruise, which made Regina flinch a little bit at the pain.

David shook his head in denial, he was furious. "He did this to you, didn't he?", he said clenching his jaw. He knew that if he saw Gold right now, he would kill him without a second thought.

Regina didn't respond, she simply looked at her feet as a single tear dropped from her eye. She looked up again to meet his eyes. "I didn't want you to see me like this", she said with a shaky voice.

"Regina", David started, "Wh-why?"

Regina gasped and frowned. "It's not like I want this, David."

"It's not what I meant", David said in a apologizing tone. "I mean, why are you still with him? I'm guessing this wasn't the first time", he said like he was the one hurting all this time.

Regina nodded nervously. "You don't know him. You've only seen your boss. He's a lot more powerful than you think. And there's a lot more underneath this whole situation", she said wiping a tear.

"Let me help you", David pleaded. "Let me do something."

"There is nothing you can do, David. There is nothing anyone can do. Anyone who tried ended up hurt or worse", Regina said staring at the void. She blinked and shook her head. "Anyway, you should go". She started pushing him.

"No, no, I'm not leaving you like this", David said.

"You have to. Robert has cameras all around here. If he decides to see the recordings and sees you here, I'll be dead. Or worse, you'll be dead", she paused thinking about the unthinkable. "I'm not gonna lie. I shouldn't, but I want to see you again, David", she smiled as he sighed in relief and smiled back, "But not here. Not like this". Regina put a hand on David's face, making him almost melt at the touch. "Let me handle this my way."

David simply nodded. Despite everything, he was incredibly happy to hear this. Regina then leaned into him, standing on her tiptoes to reach him, and kissed his cheek. It was a longer kiss then usual and sent a shiver through David's whole body. It was such an innocent act, but it made David feel like a little kid again, hopeful. She made her way back to where she was and smiled at him. _That damn smile_ , he thought.

"Will you be ok?", David asked with a pained look gazing at her bruises again. He made a face once he realized how stupid that question was. Of course she wasn't going to be ok.

"I'll be just fine", Regina replied reassuring him. "Please, please, leave", she pleaded.

Deep down David knew the needed to leave, but he had to fight every cell on his body to make himself move towards the exit. He started to walk away reluctantly. There's nothing he wanted more than to stay beside her forever, right there and then. But he knew that it was not the time, nor the place.

She returned his gesture and got back to her apples, letting out a huge breath.

David got out of the property, entered his car and drove away. What a ride of a morning. He was trying to understand everything that happened in the last hour. He asked Ruby for Regina's address, he drove there, met Granny and got lectured by her, saw Regina bruised, imagined a hundred ways to kill Gold in his head, got a confirmation that she wants to see him again, received a kiss. One thing he knew for sure, he was going to take Regina away from this nightmare and build a life with her. There's nothing he wanted more.

David ran to the office, probably way over the speed limit. He still had a job after all. Although he couldn't shake the feeling that this job no longer spiked his interest like it did before. Knowing the kind of monster Gold truly was, he couldn't imagine himself working for him anymore. Since he got into college, David aspired to be the "great Robert Gold, the best lawyer in America". Little did he know back then that Gold had nothing to admire about. What kind of professional life does one lead if it hides a despicable character? No, David, couldn't look up to a man like that.

He still didn't know quite sure what he was going to do. But at least he could enjoy the afternoon when he didn't need to see Gold's face (or God knows what could happen) and get some work done. He checked his phone in the elevator. 15 messages from his secretary, freaking out looking for him. He simply replied with a "Almost there" and put the phone back in his pocket.

The elevator's door opened and he was startled to see Killian standing there with that devious smile of his. "Just the man I was looking for!", Killian said with a smirk.

"That's just creepy", David said trying to get out of the elevator.

"No, no", Killian said holding David by the shoulders and turning him around again. "It's lunch time and you're buying me food, I'm starving."

They got in the elevator and Killian pressed the button.

"Early lunch…", David commented looking at his watch. "Are you kidding me?", he turned to his friend again and asked him with a frown.

Killian waited for the doors to close and turned to David. "Are YOU kidding me, mate? Going off to Gold's house to see Regina? Are you crazy?"

"Ah! That", David replied. "Ruby is such an open mouth", he said more to himself than to his friend.

"I didn't hear it from her."

David turned to Killian and frowned in wonder. "Who then?"

"Emma", Killian said pretending to look at his nails.

"And how the hell did she know?"

"Ruby told her", Killian said, matter-of-factly.

"There it goes."

"But that's not the point!", Killian said looking up to see that they were almost hitting the ground floor. "The point is you must be out of your goddamn mind, and you're about to explain it to me." The doors opened. "Oh, and you _are_ going to buy me lunch", Killian said with a grin getting out of the elevator, leaving David rolling his eyes behind.

They arrived to a crowded restaurant, but the manager, a young woman, got a glimpse of them just as Killian was winking at her. She made sure they got seated very comfortably before everyone else. _Sometimes Killian's annoying charm did have its perks_ , David thought.

"What can I get you boys?", the manager asked with a flirtatious tone while the two men simultaneously opened up the single button of their suits to sit.

"Two beers and two steaks, please, love", Killian asked and looked at her name tag, "Thank you, Sarah", and smiled again. He knew his way, that son of a bitch.

"Dammit, Jones, I gotta hand it to you, you have a superpower", David said making a fake bow.

"It's more like a gift, my friend", Killian started, "When mother nature makes you handsome like this", he pointed to his own face, "You have to honor the duty".

David roll his eyes again.

"But enough of my good looks", Killian said making David rolls his eyes for the third time in the last fifteen minutes, "Spill".

"Wait, why isn't Emma with us?", David asked.

"She's extremely busy with this ass of a case- but hey, that's not the point here", Killian said as he realized David was trying to avoid a conversation. "How did it go there?"

"Uhmmm, well…", David started mumbling. Killian raised his eyebrow, expecting his friend to continue. "I don't know, man", he finally let it out.

"What the hell, mate?", Killian frowned. "Oh! Oh, shit. She dismissed you, didn't she?"

"No, no! Thank God, no! In fact, I think she shares my feelings", David said smiling. "She says she wants to see me again."

Killian smirked at his friend's visible happiness, but frowned once he saw the smile on David's face fade. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"He beats her, Killian", David said with a mixture of hurt and rage. "I got there, she didn't want to see me, and then I understood why. Her hurt face broke my heart", he continued.

"That son of a bitch", Killian said almost as a whisper to himself. "I knew something was up with him. So Gold is more of bad guy than we thought he was."

"I can't encounter Gold, Killian. I can't, or I swear to God, I'll kill him", David finished clenching his jaw, leaving even his best friend scared with the reaction.

Their foods quickly arrived, which left both of them quiet, not wanting to speak in front of anyone.

Killian waiter after the waitress went away. "So what are you going to do now?", he asked trying to deviate David from murderous thoughts.

"I don't know… She asked me to wait, but I honestly don't know if I can wait."

"Maybe you should forget her, David", Killian said quietly.

"Are you crazy?", David snapped. "That's just impossible, out of the question."

"Well, do I need to remind you that she's your boss' wife?"

"No, her bruised face already did that job", David said with a poisonous voice.

"Okay, David, I'm going to be a friend and reason for you here, since you're not thinking straight", Killian sighed, "If you _really_ want to go through with this, which I don't recommend, you should probably wait", he said which made David look at him quizzically. "Give her some time, mate. If this is all too much for you, imagine for her. I don't know her that well, but she's probably going through a lot and it's never good to push a woman. So I ask you to be patient."

"Ok, mister wise-ass", David responded with a harsh tone, "Care to tell me how exactly just I just stand by while the woman I love is suffering in the hands of that monster?"

Killian sighed again. "Ugh, I know this isn't easy. But it's a very delicate situation, David. I'm just asking you to think this through, okay?"

David nodded. He knew Killian was right. If he had his way, he would drive to her house right now, swipe her in his arms and get the hell out of this city. But things were never that simple. Not to mention that they barely knew each other, aside from understanding that there was something deep between them that neither could explain it.

xxxxx

Regina entered the house with a basket full of apples. She spotted Granny running from the library to the kitchen. "Hey, you!", she shouted to get Granny's attention. The maid dusting the room stopped what she was doing to look at Regina too.

Granny turned like a child who had just being caught. "Yes, miss Regina?", she teasingly answered and started walking towards her.

Regina turned to another maid and kindly asked for her to take the basket and put it in the kitchen. The maid didn't quite look up, but she knew Regina was bruised. Granny might have been the only one that knew for a fact about the abuse, but everyone else living under the same roof could tell something was off. They just weren't stupid enough to say anything.

Regina then turned again to Granny with a hand on her waist. "Now what do you have to say for yourself, old lady?"

"I don't know what you're talking about", Granny said while making a turtle face.

"Very funny trick you put out there, Mrs.", Regina tried not to laugh. "Now he saw me like this!"

"Maybe it was necessary! Honey, it's quite obvious that man likes you."

Regina stopped her track of thinking. "Is it?", she asked, full of hope.

"Uhmmmm… Yes. So don't blame me for helping you get your happy ending here. I'm just an old lady who wants nothing but your absolute happiness", she smiled, making Regina blush.

"He's quite wonderful, isn't he?", Regina said more to herself than Granny.

"Oh, child, he most certainly seems that way", Granny winked at her and started to leave.

"I'm afraid, Granny", Regina whispered, getting the older woman's attention again. "I'm so afraid", she swallowed has a single tear dropped from her eye. "The last time I felt happiness, it was took away from me in the most brutal way."

Granny came closer to her. Regina was speaking very softly, but with such pain in her voice. Not a surprise, she thought, considering everything the poor woman has been through. Granny took her hand, "My sweet, sweet child, look at me", she said making Regina look up from the ground, "Don't be afraid of happiness, don't let it paralyze you. You deserve this more than anyone. Now go after your happiness."

Granny always knew what to say to make Regina feel safe and her words were a comfort to her, making her feel warmth through her body. She loved that woman more than she loved her own mother, more than she loved anyone really. Regina simply took a deep breath, squeezed Granny's hands and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you."

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 **Review, please?**


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